Questions to Ask Your Book Cover Designer

Questions to Ask Your Book Cover Designer

If you are hiring a book cover designer to create your book cover, then there are certain questions that you definitely want to ask. These questions will help you weed out book designers that are going to make a poor quality cover for you. If you are self-publishing, then you definitely want the best book cover possible, and there are lots of graphic artists out there that may be talented in other areas but know nothing about book cover designs. This will help you to actually hire a book cover designer that will get you to the top of the bestseller lists.

How Many Book Covers Have You Designed?

The first question you have to ask your book cover designer is how many covers they’ve actually designed you want someone has experience with the cover designs because they are different than other graphic designs. Someone may be very good at designing business logos, but that does not mean that they are good at designing the perfect book cover. If you want to be able to sell your book, then you’re going to have to have a great cover design.

Have You Read My Book?

You also want to know whether or not they have read your book. If they have not read your book or lease know what it is about, then they are not going to have very good success at design e-book cover design that fits your book. You want readers to be able to look at your cover and choose to buy, but when they are finished reading it they should also understand how the book cover design fits in with the book.

What Are Your Ideas for My Book Cover Design?

Ask your designer what sort of ideas they have for your book cover design. If you can get some of the ideas from them, then you will know what sort of designs they are planning and can veto any ideas that do not fit your own idea of what your cover should be. While you should give your cover designers some leeway, they should still be designing something you want.

Where Do You Get Your Stock Photos?

Something else that you should be asking them is where they get their stock photos. A good book cover designer will get their stock photos from a legitimate stock photo site and have permission to use them. If they are getting their stock photos from somewhere that they do not have permission to use, then your book cover design is useless because someone could easily sue you for your cover design and take all of the money you’ve made from your book.

Do You Offer Any Guarantees?

Finally, you should ask your cover designer if they offer any guarantees. Your book cover designer should be able to offer some sort of guarantee you will like the design that they choose or they will fix it for you. If not, then you may want to move on to a different designer.

If you’re ever looking to hire a book cover designer, check out Reedsy

The Book Proposal Outline

The Book Proposal Outline

When it comes to writing a book proposal, there is a certain outline that you should follow. Not every successful book proposal follows this exact outline, but a pretty big percentage of them do. More importantly, most of the rejected book proposals have outlines that are very different from this one. If you want your book proposal to be successful, then you may want to look at this outline and consider using it for your own proposal. Your goal is to get published, and this proposal outline can definitely help you get there.

The Overview

The first thing you need is an overview of your book. In a small paragraph, let a publisher or agent know why they should consider your book for publication. An overview usually consists of 3-4 sentences and includes only the most important information.

Target Audience

Next, you need to think about who your target audience is. Make sure that you know who your book is most likely to be read by and that you are familiar with the demographics of that target audience. If you can show your publisher that you know who to target, they will have a much easier time approving your book for publication.

About the Author

You also want to make sure that you include information about yourself – especially if you have already published books in the same genre or if you have expertise that specifically lends itself to book marketing. For example, if you are a doctor with expertise in health care, then that would be relevant information to include if you have written a book on health care. However, it would not be relevant if you have written a mystery novel (unless it is a medical mystery).

Marketing Plan

You should also come up with a marketing plan that demonstrates what ideas you have for marketing the book and shows publishers just how far you are willing to go to make your book sell. Remember, they are looking to make a profit, so if your book is good, and you are willing to promote it, they will be more willing to publish it.

Competitive Titles

You will also need to include other books that you think could compete with yours – but even more importantly, you should include reasons why your book totally blows them out of the water. Make sure that your publishers know that even if your book has competition; that you are able to present the ideas better than other books.

Chapter Outline

A chapter outline will give your publisher a chance to see the finished book (even if it isn’t fully complete yet). You simply list your chapters, and then you list a short summary of each one. This allows your publishers to see exactly what your book is about in an easy-to-read overview.

Sample Chapter(s)

Finally, make sure that you are including at least one sample chapter. Some agents and publishers may actually let you know how many sample chapters to send.

For more information on how to do a book proposal, check out Reedsy

Is Writer’s Block a Myth?

Is Writer’s Block a Myth?

No one really knows what causes writers block, which is led some writers to conclude that it doesn’t really exist. Of course, for the millions of writers who have gotten stuck for days or weeks due to writers block, this argument doesn’t hold much water. But you definitely should consider the possibility the writer’s block may not be an actual thing, but simply a symptom of another problem entirely. That starts with understanding exactly what causes writers block in the first place, and knowing what sort of steps you should be taking to fix the problem. Fire up your BBQ Grill and make yourself a delicious meal, and let’s look at writers block in more detail.

 

Image result for Writer’s Block reedsy

One of the things that cause writers block is self-doubt. Many writers experience this problem when they first start writing. They don’t believe that they can actually finish a story or novel or whatever they are working on. Even when they finish something, they do not believe that they will actually get anything published. Having the self-doubts is simply part of being a writer. But all too often, this doubt causes you to get stuck in a cycle that makes you think it’s not even worth it to write. The only cure for this doubt in the writers block the comes with it is to continue writing and prove to yourself that you do have what it takes.

Something else that can cause writers block is a problem in the story. In this case, writers block is not so much a myth as it is a symptom of the problem. For example, you may have written something previously that doesn’t make sense with what you are currently writing. You may not even remember what that is, but your subconscious mind does. Sometimes you have to go back and figure out where that problem is and corrected before you can move on. However, pro writers will tell you to let the scene go where ever it is that it wants to go, and then worry about fixing the mistakes such as continuity later on.

People sometimes get stuck because they are trying to force characters to do things that they do not want to do. In other words, your subconscious mind knows the kind of character that you have created. In fact, your subconscious mind knows a lot more about your character than your conscious one does. When you try to force the character to do something that is against his or her nature, or does not make sense in the story, then you get stuck and you feel like you are forcing it. This can bring your story to a grinding halt as well.

The bottom line is that although writers block is not necessarily a myth, it is not as big of a problem as people think it is. In fact, you are the one that gives it all of its power. If you refuse to acknowledge the power of writers block and continue writing no matter what, you will find it has very little effect on you.

For more information about writer’s block and other self-publishing/writing help, check out Maureen Crisp’s blog

What’s the Recommended Length for a Novel’s Chapters?

What’s the Recommended Length for a Novel’s Chapters?

Have you ever pick up a book with a super compelling title and a description that you were so captivated by that you couldn’t wait to sit down and start reading? But, once you dove in, did you find that the chapters were just too darn long?

If so, you are not alone. A lot of readers complain that they don’t like to engage with books that have chapters that are super long and drawn out. Why? – Because they want to be able to finish a chapter in a single sitting, and for most readers, a single sitting is about 10 to 15 minutes. If the chapters in a novel are too long, chances are that they are going to struggle with finishing a chapter in one sitting.

So, with that said, the question: “How long should the chapters in my novel be?” is begged.

The answer to that can be really tricky. However, here’s a look at what famed authors, publishers, and literary agents have to say on the topic…

How many words in a novel?

 

What’s the Perfect Length for a Novel’s Chapters?

On average, most authors, agents, and publishers recommend keeping the chapters of a novel to about 2,000 words. That seems to be the perfect number because the average reader can get through that amount in a single sitting. It’s not too much that it seems to be long and drawn out, it’s easily digestible, and enough drama can be built or questions can be answered in a 2,000 word chapter.

Now, that is not to say that a chapter can’t be longer. It certainly can be. In fact, there are plenty of acclaimed novels that feature chapters that are significantly longer – up to 6,000 words! But, the key here is that they are usually books that are written for older audiences or are genres that are expected to have long-winded chapters, such as science fiction or fantasy.

You can also have chapters that are fewer than 2,000 words. Just like there are plenty of famed books that have longer chapters, there are dozens that feature chapters that are shorter than 2,000 word. Some chapters may not even reach the 1,000 word mark! But, if you’re going to do that, you really have to make sure that the chapter is truly thrilling and captivating. Additionally, you should consider following up with a longer chapter. Doing so will help to keep the reader’s momentum going and make them want to dive right into a longer chapter that can answer more questions.

The Bottom Line

In short, there isn’t a specific rule that applies when determining the appropriate length for a chapter. While 2,000 words is recommended, you certainly don’t have to stick to it. You can have a very successful book with chapters that are shorter or longer than 2,000 words; however, just make sure that you are filling them appropriately. Remember: your goal is to entertain your audience and keep their attention. In other words, write what you think works best for your story.

Why Almost Everything You’ve Learned About How Long Should a Chapter Be Is Wrong and What You Should Know

If you want to choose the length of time your chapters should be, look at the length of time you typically write. Each chapter needs to have a goal. You cannot have multiple chapters within a scene.

By the conclusion of each chapter, you should resolve a minumum of one thing. Each chapter might be a little game, but put together tell a big and intricate story. 1 popular means to approach chapters is to think about each as its very own short story.

You’re able to write no chapters if you want. Some chapters may call for several scenes to do their objective. Actually your chapters should have dynamic endings that have your readers quickly turning the page to start the subsequent one. The best method to end the chapter will typically be at the scene disaster. You may discover that leaving chapters out of your novel actually increases the mood.

If you’re attempting to choose the length of time you should write a chapter, the go to answer is that it needs to be exactly so long as you would like it to be. A chapter ought to be complete content. Five-page chapters are excellent.

how long should a chapter be

Why Chapter Length Matters

When you come back for another draft, you must be certain your chapters are the perfect length! Your very first draft isn’t a place to consider about chapter structure. Needless to say, once you’re writing the very first draft of your story, you would like to just get your words out on paper.

Length can change and become an intention portion of your storytelling. After you have decided what length you’re comfortable with for your chapters, longer scenes may be an entire chapter by themselves, or several scenes can be chained together to earn a chapter. The time span is definitely not necessary, merely a POV change is fine. Your chapter structure should be in proportion to the total length of the book. When you’re writing to teach then you will want to keep it short and pacy, and a great clear structure is the best way to do that.

How Long Should a Chapter Be?

Your characters aren’t there for a simple ride. From the inciting incident onwards, your lead character has to get a large, overarching objective to reach. The more conflict you’ve got with distinctive characters, the more incentive you give them as a way to get the things that they want. Obviously, it is not just your principal character that will require motivation.

As weird as it might seem, you can influence the reader’s degree of engagement simply by the direction you divide your novel into chapters. In general, the secret is to continue to keep your reader in mind. Remember you want to receive the reader involved with your characters once possible, otherwise they’ll eliminate interest and put off your book. The typical reader today is getting a skimmer because of the web. Many readers utilize chapter breaks as a chance to break away and do something different. Other authors attempt to specify a word-count limit. Authors of superior fiction write a lot of material that they’re not able to use or that they finish years later.

If you’ve ever read a book you’ll be aware that a novel is a set of scenes strung together to create the whole. In the end, the way you chapter your book is dependent on the effect which you want to accomplish at any certain point in your novel. It’s simpler for the reader to follow along with the story when they’re only in 1 character’s mind for the large part of the story. By doing so, you’re moving the story forward. Another strategy is to compose your whole story as you think of it and fret about producing the beginning later. Starting with chapter three, the most important story happened over the span of a couple of days. Needless to say, you’ll need to tell a couple of things because it’s, after all, a novel, not a movie.

New Questions About: How Long Should a Chapter Be

Won’t stay for long, but nevertheless, it’ll be a great visit. Yes, it’s fantastic info, but nevertheless, it can be quite shallow. At exactly the same time, a bit of help never hurts. There are three main advantages to titling your chapters. Another advantage to getting a story map is it permits you to see possible stumbling points before you get to writing them. You wish to permit your reader an opportunity to pause, but not for long! Then it’s possible to take a rest.

The reply is complicated. There is not an easy answer, but my advice is to see to the chapter as a quick story. For quite a long time, my response to any question involving when I would create a novel was, I don’t have any idea. My question is all about how to locate a publisher. There were also a great deal of logistical questions. Now here is a related question. A comprehensive discussion on the correct use of thoughts is going to be the topic for a future post.

Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Book Marketing Ideas

Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Book Marketing Ideas

The Fundamentals of Book Marketing Ideas Revealed

There are plenty of things a writer is able to do in order to secure writing jobs. Self-published writers are especially attempting to locate creative and absolutely free book marketing procedures. To research how other writers within your niche promote their courses, come to your neighborhood bookstore or maybe library. Some authors provide giveaways of a very first book in a series every time a new installment is all about to launch, and delight in a sales lift on the other side of the series after the giveaway concludes.

Listen in as John Kremer describes classic and advanced methods to advertise your books. There are an assortment of reasons you ought to write an ebook or perhaps a book. If you’re tired of waiting for other people to offer your book or ebook, you are able to take action to advertise your books without having to spend plenty of money or committing lots of time.

How you sell your book is equally as important. Selling and buying books are interesting activities if you’re a book lover and you will not ever know you could create a great business by means of selling books too. Think about the true estate gal that has a book on buying or selling your very first home. Before you may sell your book, you have to market it. Many books are only a compilation of interviews. Given that there are 3,500 books published daily in the usa, whatever you can do in order to stick out over the crowd can make a big difference.

book marketing ideas

Vital Pieces of Book Marketing Ideas

Determine any faults that might place somebody off developing a proposal, also as noticing the elements of the property which are most engaging. A marketing program is a document that lists the actions necessary for you to accomplish your advertising and marketing targets. The fantastic thing about making use of a book promoting program that’s presently put together is you could begin right out.

Based on what it is that you are looking for, you can land a writing job in 1 week. Whether you need a complete time job or a part-time opportunity, here are 3 strategies to acquire your writing career moving. You will probably be overwhelmed with work and you will need to understand where to set your advertising efforts. Though it takes a decent amount of work to assemble the knowledge and abilities required to create effective internet marketing campaigns, it’s an incredibly helpful tool to get in your arsenal. Therefore don’t stop work on that next book, however much additional work the previous one has produced.

Getting honest reviews of your book will aid your book be viewed by readers that are seeking to read it. Good Marketing Ideas is a superb website, with a great deal of helpful tips. For salon businesses, you will need some great salon advertising ideas.

If you presently have a website and internet presence, you can employ your book trailer as additional content for your website or societal media pages. Explain that you’re calling to supply additional details about yourself and your book and that you would love to send her or him a free review copy of your book. Your author website also needs to be simple to navigate, making your books easy to locate and simple to purchase. There are websites which will pay you depending on the variety of views your articles receive.

The Internet is currently a vital location for authors to advertise and sell their books. It offers a wealth of information on any and every topic, including book marketing. Actually, you hate marketing. Book marketing is a fundamental portion of the publishing procedure. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be spammy or wheedling. Sometimes it can help to look at book marketing as what it is in fact a small business. You should know more on the subject of book marketing for you in order to learn to devote your time in advertising your book and prevent the frustrations you might eventually feel when you’ve got zero idea what you’re doing.

The Book Marketing Idea Summary

If you’re likely to do an internet discussion do something which’s going to encourage book sales. Without some kind of book advertising plan in place your book sales will be quite low. If you would like to see more book sales, you’ll need to make your own book advertising program. As soon as your property was upgraded and its condition was improved, you might be in a position to grow the rent that might be charged for the residences. You will be prepared to get a lot higher value after you sell your apartment complex if you’re taking care of any repairs or renovations that require in order to be carried out.

The Best Programs for Kindle Formatting

Best Programs for Kindle Formatting

Most people think that Kindle formatting is a really complex process that takes weeks or requires a professional editor. While an editor can certainly be useful when it comes to improving your content, the truth about Kindle formatting is that it is so easy that you can usually do it yourself. However, for those who want a little extra help when it comes to Kindle formatting, there are a few programs out there that can help. Let’s look at four of the best programs for Kindle formatting.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is definitely the best program out there when it comes to Kindle formatting. Microsoft Word is free, assuming that you already have it installed on your computer, and even if it isn’t you can get it installed for a nominal fee if you go with the office 365 monthly program. Microsoft Word is incredibly useful when it comes to Kindle book publishing because you can add page breaks that will control when the Kindle moves to another page and Amazon even has a plug-in that allows you to preview Kindle books in Microsoft Word.

Juto

Juto is a useful program for those who are doing more than the traditional Kindle publishing without any pictures, charts, graphs or others. This program takes a great deal of the work out of the HTML that has to go into Kindle formatting for many nonfiction books or children’s books with pictures in them. This is a really user-friendly program that you will bill the pickup in no time, but like everything else on the list besides Microsoft Word, the price tag can be a little scary.

Reedsy

Reedsy is a program that advertises professional formatting without all the work that goes into it. While the program is fairly easy to use, and does take a great deal of the learning curve out of the equation that you would have to cover with Microsoft Word, there isn’t much offered be on the ability to format books more quickly. However, this program does have a lot of useful information and advice when it comes to getting your book ready for publication promotion.

Scrivener

One of the best writing and publishing programs out there is Scrivener. Scrivener is a premium writing program that allows you to divide up your work into different chapters, scenes and more. You can even create notecards for characters and settings. Basically, Scrivener gives you all of the tools that you could possibly want to write a short story or novel. The program does cost money, but you can get a free trial and the best news is when it comes to formatting this program not only helps you with formatting, but can actually publish to various e-book formats, which means that you can do all your writing and publishing directly in the application. If you want a comprehensive program that gives you all of the writing tools you could want and then allows you to export to Kindle format or any of the other e-book formats, then this is the right tool for you.

If you ever somehow lose your files, feel free to contact Onsite in 60, an NYC Data Recovery company.

The Tried and True Method for Finding the Best Microwave Ovens in 2020

Which is far better than simply getting your microwave alone. Not all microwaves can receive the work done though, particularly if you’re one who appreciates the caliber of your food some microwaves heat unevenly, while some send lingering smells around the kitchen. Not that you will need to use the microwave on its complete power for all dishes, as you will receive bad outcomes. Microwaves are among the least expensive products you can purchase now on the internet or in store. Today, the best microwaves are somewhat more compact and more powerful than before and furthermore incorporate components to boost the range of sustenances it is possible to prepare using a single machine. If you are trying to find a low-cost microwave, then all you need to do is to continue to keep your eyes open and search for the best price possible. It’s possible that you encounter cheap microwave with the best characteristics at any regional retail or online retail shop.

The microwave is made from stainless steel. Convection microwaves are a category of microwaves alone. A convection microwave is potentially the most resourceful among other forms of microwaves. Given the fact it is a mixture of two appliances, they need to have a button that allows you to select which machine you want to use, in addition to a button to select the microwave and convection feature at the exact same time. Now that you’ve resolved to get a convection microwave, we need to share with you a couple of suggestions that’ll assist you in making the correct choice. Most folks will profit from a convection microwave, but a lot of individuals are likely to use only 1 mode or the other the majority of the moment. The perfect convection microwave will provide you both options in a high speed.

If you presently have an oven and you just desire to put in a microwave to your toolbox, you could not opt for a more equipped machine. In the event you do, it’s so much advised that you purchase a microwave oven. Microwave ovens arrive in a range of styles to fit all your home decor requirements. A microwave oven is thought to be a kitchen appliance that’s required to functions a food just in a couple of minutes. For the perfect cooking experience, every microwave oven has lots of unique pre-programmed auto cook options (which may also be called Settings and so forth ) that help you cook certain dishes with no difficulties. Finding the best microwave oven may be a bit tricky and time-consuming. By doing them all, hopefully, you’ll unquestionably locate the very best microwave oven that could agree with your needs and expectations along with possible.

The Foolproof Best Microwaves Strategy

If you’re prepared to obtain a microwave, please visit Appliance Authority for their recommendations. You’re able to use a microwave to discover rid of germs on the kitchen cleaners and sponges and it’s an extremely safe appliance for kids. No one want to set the microwaves from the counter space that takes a good deal of room. It may not be absolutely the most glamorous of kitchen appliances, but a good microwave is an important item for the majority of households. Conventional microwaves sit in addition to a counter, but if your kitchen is lacking in the manner of space, find a more streamlined model. The greatest cheap microwave which I came across is Westinghouse WCM770B.

Microwaves are usually tough. Needless to say, all the customary precautions around making use of a microwave apply, including keeping metal from there unless you would love to ruin the gadget. It also comes with a high rack and low stand, enabling you to cook to your taste. It’s likely to also, as you are probably aware, buy a microwave using a convection cooking feature to let you bake and brown and warmth but that, alongside the other cool features, are odd to discover at the amount of countertop appliances we are going to be reviewing. It’s incredibly simple to use, and unlike so many different microwaves, it’ll be an asset to your kitchen’s aesthetic.

If you’re looking for a number of the very best microwave trim kits of this calendar year, the content below will allow you to have the best one. It’s essential for you not to attempt to correct the internal or the digital elements of the microwaves. Another thing I enjoy about over-the-range microwaves is they’re more challenging to reach for children.

There is a lot to take into consideration while buying a microwave, particularly if you’re thinking about installing it over the scope in your kitchen. You may be wondering why you truly require a microwave. Another thing that you should watch out for in over-the-range microwaves are features that could take a whole lot of time off the complete cooking approach. As you seek an over-the-range microwave, you might observe some recent innovations. An over-the-range microwave has a lot of advantages that after you experience, you might never get to live without. Attempt to decide on an over-the-range microwave that it is simple to maneuver.

What are the different routes for book publishing?

There are various alternative routes available for how to publish a book. The traditional one and the digital one (self-publishing). There is the number of reasons to go for both the things, but before that, you need to know which is which.

The traditional book publishing route:
If as an author, you want to get your book published by a conventional way, then you need to:
.Get your work accepted by a literary agent. Big publisher take submissions only from literary agents.
.When you get an agent, the agent will take care of selling your writing work or manuscript to the big publisher.
.With this, you will get paid an upfront advance for your manuscript. The payment differs from work to work. It may be small or significant depending on   commercial potential.

The publisher then will invest in editorial, copyediting, designing, sales and marketing work. Again here, the budget depends on the publisher to publisher. Small publisher spends smaller amount, and big publisher spends large amounts. Now, you should expect distribution for your book, i.e., physical books in physical stores. You should also expect newspaper review coverage. Big publishers also distribute your book through every possible digital platform. Rare possibilities are there of getting a TV or movie deal, for authors who travel the traditional route. You can also smoke some medicinal grade Legalized Bud which is great for boosting creativity.

The digital book publishing route
The disadvantage of the traditional way is it is very tough to get an agent who will take your work, and even after that there is no guarantee of selling your work or manuscript to a publisher. The digital publishing route, i.e., self-publishing is easy as compared to the traditional way of publishing. The most significant advantage of the e-reading revolution from an author’s viewpoint is that anyone can eddo it. At Amazon, you can upload your work without any charges and can sell it all over the globe.

If you want to publish your work digitally, you need to be aware of:
– Amazon never pay an advance
– Your work will not appear in retail bookshops.
– Your work will not receive coverage in media.
– You may face cost related to editing, designing, etc. related work.
– Just being on the list of Amazon’s store lists, it does not mean that you will receive excellent sales.
– To make this new market work for you, you need to write a fantastic book and also need to market it and sell it.

The pros and cons of the different routes
Traditional publishing is good for writers who:
– have written novels or mainstream non-fiction
– do want an advance
– do want the appreciation of traditional publishing contract
– do want their work is distributed through bookshops
– do not want to take the stress of aftersales and business side
– don’t mind slow publishing process
– don’t care that publishers have control over central decisions
– If you have written literary, general, book club or any other fiction, then you have the minimal alternative to the traditional route.

Digital publishing is good for writers who:
– haven’t obtained an agent yet
– who is writing in digital-friendly genres, like romance, crime, erotic, paranormal, fiction, fantasy, horror, etc.?
– want to have control over the whole publishing process
– possesses entrepreneurial skills
– can handle digital interfaces
– don’t care about the attractive perks of traditional publishing like bookstore distribution, media coverage etc.